Master of Arts - American Studies

Program Description

The American Studies program strives to provide world-class graduate training at the M.A. and Ph.D. levels in American Studies for students interested in the interdisciplinary study of American culture. At universities in many nations around the world, American Studies is the rubric of choice for students seeking a broad understanding of American culture. American Studies examines those values and institutional structures that hold Americans together and, at times, divide them into the kinds of factions that the authors of the Federalist Papers so feared when they argued for the ratification of the US Constitution. How America is constituted really is the core subject of American Studies.

With a special focus on the American West, and concentrations in American Arts, American History, American Literature, American Pluralism, and Public Humanities, the program draws on a distinguished cohort of full-time and associated faculty with research and teaching expertise in the disciplines of Anthropology, Architectural History, Art History, English, History, Media and Theater Arts, Native American Studies, Political Science, and Sociology.

The program prepares students for careers in academic research and teaching, business, journalism, cultural resource management, museums, or government service, especially in the U.S. Department of State (primarily its information and cultural services), and agencies like the National Park Service. American Studies has long been one of the primary training grounds for American Foreign Service officers as well as journalists and business leaders who are charged with making sense of the American cultural mosaic for international audiences. Additionally, the program positions graduate students to think and work in a globalized political economy, preparing them for multiple career options where depth and breadth of knowledge about American culture is essential.

The American Studies Masters Program offers two program plans/options for degree completion: Plan A/Thesis Option, Plan B/Coursework Only Option. Students can develop advanced research skills through the production of a Masters thesis. The table below shows required coursework and outlines for two-year plans of study by degree option.